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Every television critic I know is making both end-of-year and end-of-decade lists. Although we have many different takes on what happened this year and in the last 10, there does seem to be one consistency: We each make what amounts to an improbable list. This is mine.

This list focuses on actors. Which, let’s cut to it — is impossible. Between lead actors and supporting actors in both drama and comedy and in the surprisingly long list of great shows on television, there wouldn’t be room enough in the paper and who knows how much bandwidth I might chew up on the interwebs.

So I came up with a relatively straightforward (but still improbable) set of guidelines. I wanted lead and supporting actors from dramas and comedies. I wanted at least one major guest star who appeared most of the season. And I only wanted to pick actors who consistently caught my attention with their brilliance. I figured if they did that, they pretty much made the series they were in.

So, here are 18 actors who truly stand out, plus one full cast.

Jon Hamm, Mad Men, AMC
He is the show, folks. He’s been superb for three seasons, but it was this last one — when the lies caught up with Don Draper — where Hamm separated himself from the pack.

Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad, AMC
Cranston has — deservedly — won the Emmy for best actor in each of the two seasons of Breaking Bad. He’s just phenomenal in his range. Paul, who was nominated for supporting actor this past season, deserved to win. The growth of his character in two seasons was substantial, and Paul’s work was both heartbreaking and funny — mingling that is no easy feat.

Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie, Showtime
On a series with great potential that was not fully met in Season 1, the series soared on Falco’s completely fearless performance as a nurse addicted to painkillers (and living her life as raw-nerve-real as possible). Falco is an actress for the ages.

Toni Collette, United States of Tara, Showtime
This ambitious series about multiple personalities needed an actress capable of outrageous (and believable) mood swings. Collette was magnificent.

Katey Sagal, Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy, FX
All you have to know is that lead actress is going to be a bloodbath at the next Emmys. There’s just too much talent there. And Sagal could very well be the odds-on favorite. Hunnam, whose growth in the role helped add nuance to the outlaw motorcycle saga, showed impressive range all season long, culminating in the final moments of the finale.

Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Friday Night Lights, NBC
Still one of the best portrayals of marriage on television (the series is airing on DirecTV now and will return to NBC in the summer). That’s the glue in these performances, and yet both shine in their respective roles apart from each other.

Josh Holloway, Lost, ABC
Ensemble series — especially ones as enormous as Lost — are almost impossible vehicles from which to cull outstanding performances. But Holloway’s transformation last season, from rage-appropriate loner and opportunistic lothario to an almost Zen-like visage who understood his circumstances and appreciated his longest-term relationship, was always the focal point.

Tim Roth, Lie to Me, Fox
It’s easy to give network programming — even the finest of it — less attention and affection in the face of so much impressive work on the cable side. But Roth’s combination of smarts, aggression and compassion has not only elevated this procedural drama, but also proved he deserves the Emmy attention that has previously (and deservedly) gone to Hugh Laurie on House.

John Lithgow, Dexter, Showtime
Yes, Michael C. Hall as America’s favorite serial killer should be honored for his part in fleshing out both the normalcy and desperation in his lead role, but it’s not diminishing that performance one bit to say that Lithgow was both menacing and magnetic every single second he was on screen. Simply amazing and vital work.

Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock, NBC
Is there a show here without him? Sure, but not nearly one that reaches the comic heights achieved with Baldwin’s impeccable timing and sublimely nuanced facial expressions. No wonder he wins the Emmy all the time.

Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet, Modern Family, ABC
Don’t look now, Alec Baldwin, but your Emmy streak is in danger. On this season’s best new sitcom, there are at least five people who may get nominated for their work, but these three are absolute, must-have nominees. Burrell’s clueless dad/friend plus Ferguson and Stonestreet as the gay couple are comic gold from episode to episode.
Amy Poehler, Nick Offerman, Parks and Recreation, NBC
This show has elevated itself not only because the writing has improved but because those writers now trust the entire cast. That said, Poehler’s manic do-gooder contrasts tremendously with Offerman’s more contemplative (and coolly cynical) public servant boss. They are a joy to watch in comedy concert.

The cast of Glee, Fox
Sure, this may seem like a cop-out — giving Jane Lynch the solo nod would have been easier. But guess what? If Lynch doesn’t win the Emmy with authority this year, then voters don’t have a TV. Her Sue Sylvester is the funniest thing Fox has on its network, and Lynch is a lock for the award. But this entire cast is asked to run the gamut from drama to comedy and have it all wrapped in a musical. You can’t sing (or dance) the praises of this cast any more than to honor all of them for being asked to do it all.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate..